Dozens of unvaccinated employees refusing regular screening have been suspended in the majority of establishments in Quebec, learned The duty. Even so, the continued employment of some 8,000 unimmunized employees sows fear among patients and caregivers. The decline of Quebec could also reinforce the antivax in their convictions and weaken future vaccine campaigns, fear some researchers.
Failing to be able to maintain a hard line with its employees opposed to the vaccine, “the majority of health establishments in Quebec” have so far suspended dozens of employees, or are in the process of suspending those refusing to be tested. times a week, indicated Thursday at To have to the Department of Health and Social Services.
Data received from various health establishments (CIUSSS and CISSS) show more than sixty employees withdrawn from their positions, without pay, including 32 at the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. , 8 in Estrie, 6 in the Capitale-Nationale region, 5 in Chaudière-Appalaches, 5 in Outaouais and 4 at the MUHC. Thursday evening, several establishments had not transmitted their data on this subject.
Maintaining unvaccinated workers in contact with patients is also a source of concern and disappointment, especially among user committees of the health network. “It is unacceptable to go to the hospital without knowing if you will be treated by someone who is infected. Someone can be tested in the morning, catch the virus that night, and provide care the next day. If the minister lets that go, it is because we are in an election year, and we do not want to be splashed by breakdowns in services, ”argues Paul Bélisle, president of the Gatineau Users’ Committee.
“To go back to this point, we hope that the minister’s information is really based on the potential for service disruption. We should be completely safe in a hospital, ”adds Me Paul Brunet, from the Committee for the Protection of the Sick.
The Dr Abdo Shabah, spokesperson for the Canadian Medical Association, is very disappointed with this change of course. “If there is a drop in immunity or the arrival of a new variant, this decision will have to be reconsidered. All employees should be vaccinated to protect patients. We understand that it was a difficult choice. We urgently need to rebuild our health system so as not to have to go through this kind of dilemma again, ”says this doctor, an emergency physician at the Montreal Heart Institute.
Although Ontario has also backed down on immunization of healthcare workers, it is pleased that some hospitals have been able to stay the course, including the Ottawa General Hospital and the Toronto Children’s Hospital, which have fired 186 and 150 unvaccinated employees.
Double effect
The government’s fall back on compulsory vaccination could reinforce the perception of people hesitant or opposed to vaccination, believes Hossein Azarpanah, doctoral student and researcher at Concordia University, lead author of a study on cognitive biases explaining vaccine hesitation, recently appeared in BMC Public Health.
“It is too early to measure the impact, but this could reinforce their beliefs for the antivax, who will consider that they were right. It won’t help those who were hesitant. You have to straighten out the public message and understand the biases that motivate these people, ”he says. The move could harm the future vaccination campaign for children, or even the administration of a third dose, he believes.
The refusal of the vaccine often stems from fears fueled by the media coverage of cases of extreme reactions to the vaccine, despite their rarity, explains Mohsen Farhadloo, co-author of the study. “We call it ‘availability bias’. People are more affected by emotionally charged messages. On social networks, anti-vaccines therefore use photos of sick children. To counteract these messages, the government must resort to the same strategies, ”he believes.